Toyota Shows 75-Year Family Tree With Interactive Timeline

From a Pre-War Pickup to Today's Tundra

Interesting bit of trivia...did you know that Toyota's first commercially-produced vehicle was a truck, and that its inline-six engine was based on a Chevrolet design? It was called that 1935 Toyoda (no, that's not a typo) Model G1 Truck. And although many typically think of Japanese vehicles as being small and dainty, the G1 was no shrinking violet at 234 inches long, riding on a 141.5-inch wheelbase, and weighed 5445 lb, nearly as much as a modern Tundra CrewMax 4x4. But it had a modest 65-hp 3.4-liter inline-six engine. A total of 379 G1 trucks were produced.

But the G1 isn't the only gem in Toyota's interactive timeline. There are complete family trees of cars, trucks, and SUVs going back throughout the company's more than seven-decade history, including the cool Hiace, Toyoace and Dyna cabover pickups, the Hino Briska, which later became the world-renowned Toyota Hilux, and of course, the beloved Land Cruiser, which dates back as far as 1951.

And if you thought the Chevrolet El Camino and Ford Ranchero were uniquely American ideas, Toyota had the Coronaline Pickup, a pint-sized car-based trucklet just 161.4 inches long, weighing only 2200 lb, and powered by a 1.0-liter 45 hp I-4 engine.

There are literally hundreds of different models and variations, some of which have never been sold or seen outside of Japan. So if you consider yourself a Toyota buff, or have any interest in truck history, you can check out this colossally fascinating time-waster here.